


Shattered Reality

by LyoAquila



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-09 23:24:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4368293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyoAquila/pseuds/LyoAquila
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Altair and Malik had been many things during their life: friends, lovers, enemies and finally friends again. They made many mistakes but fate gave them a second chance.<br/>But the path to happiness won't be easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shards of Memories

CH.1- SHARDS OF MEMORIES

_The young boy was sitting down by the window, trying to keep his little brother busy while their mother was making dinner for both, when he heard some weird noises coming from the roof._   
_His mother smiled with fond exasperation “Altair” she hid a small chuckle behind a hem of her head scarf “that child is becoming wilder every day more”-_

 

Malik woke with a small start when the man whose shoulder was leaning on got up “Wake up, kid” called the old man “it’s your stop” he thanked him blinking still a bit confused and hopped off the bus.  
The weather was terrible, as expected in New York at the end of November and, in the couple minutes walk from the bus stop to the entrance of the University, he was already soaked to the bones. It was the first time in years he forgot to bring an umbrella or at least put on a waterproof jacket, but in between the odd dreams and finals getting more stressing every passing day, Malik’s life had taken a strange turn. And on top of all this he was terribly late for his first lesson  
He ran down the hall and up a flight of stairs, ignoring the other students’ comments when he accidentally bumped into one of them “Rude!” shrieked a blonde girl after he had nearly ran into her “Watch out!” shouted someone else but he paid them no mind.  
Malik came to a skidding halt right before smashing into the closed door of the classroom and entered without even spending a couple of seconds to right himself. He took a seat in the very back with some of his friends -specifically Ezio and Desmond- and finally took off his drenched jacket.  
“You look terrible” yawned Desmond looking up from the book he was using as a pillow “like a sleepless zombie” he added before another jaw-breaking yawn and completely ignoring the stares from the other students. Malik stared at him idiotically like a fish out of water for a couple of seconds “Finals” he muttered under his still-strained breath “and the joys of being an older brother” but he kept silent about the dreams; Ezio and Desmond were his best friends from the start of course but, let’s face it they would laugh at him.  
“The little fledgling’s growing up” cooed Ezio “How cute!” he doesn’t even bother to keep his voice low enough not to disturb the lesson. The professor gave them a warning glare, the first of the day probably.  
“Not when it involves your fourteen years old brother wanting to get a tattoo” whispered Malik busying himself to get books and a somewhat dry scrap of paper out of his bag “Mother menaced to send us both back to Syria for the summer”  
Ezio made a face of theatrical disbelief “To your grandma?” The infamous Al-Sayf matriarch had been stuff of nightmares for the poor kid for months after the heavily veiled and incredibly old woman came to visit her daughter and grandsons ten years ago.  
Malik let out a defeated sigh “To our Grandmother” just the thought of her cold judging eyes still made him feel vaguely ashamed and in need of apologizing.  
Desmond shrugged and fished a pack of chips out his bag “Why you too?” he asked “Not your fault your little bro’s driving your mom nuts”  
Of course it wasn’t his fault if sweet little Kadar was becoming a hissy teenager but, from his mother’s late night shrieks it was for not being a good enough example. It made no sense at all.  
Ezio looked solemnly at both “That _strega_ chased me with a broom! No one deserves to be chased with a broom!”  
Desmond was hiding his not-so-silent laugh behind his pack of spicy chips “Well, that’s priceless!” the boy was enjoying himself a bit too much for Malik and Ezio’s liking “That’s where your grumpy owl attitude came from!”  
Now they were becoming quite loud and at some point the professor invited them to shut up or leave the room, so the boys returned everyone to their own business trying to look as interested in the boring lesson as humanly possible. It was warm, the professor’s monotone voice hypnotic and after some minutes Malik’s mind drifted away.

 

_The famous Altair who claimed the rooftops of Masyaf as his realm was nothing more than a scrap of a pale little boy dressed in an oversized Assassin cowl -more like a small cape on him-, a once-white pair of large trousers kept on by a red sash and a pair of leather boots._   
_Malik’s Mother had found him sleeping in a pile of washed laundry a particularly hot afternoon and brought him in to continue his nap in a cooler and safer place; she laid him on some pillows and returned to her tea-making with a light warning to her boys to stay quiet._   
_Malik sat down on the remaining pillows to practice his writing but after what he felt like an eternity spent trying to get his own name right, the little boy got incredibly bored and frustrated. He desperately need something to do beside wracking his head on some stupid writing exercises but no one was in sight beside a still sleeping Altair._   
_He crawled closer to the other boy careful not to wake him and studied him attentively. Malik was somewhat fascinated by Altair’s almost white skin, pink on his cheeks and chest from being outside for too long. It made a nice contrast to his darker complexion, he decided._   
_He had always been a bit jealous of that strange little boy who could spend his days roaming the rooftops, dressed like a desert thug and without a stern Mother who made him behave or a little brother following him around like a lost duckling-_   
_“Malik,” called quietly his Mother “could you please help me cool him down?” she was carrying a bowl of fresh water and some rags “He’s been out in this heat for too long, poor boy” she explained sitting down next to her son. Malik looked worriedly at her “Is Altair alright?” he asked in a small voice taking a rag to soak in the cool water; she smiled sweetly “Of course he is, just got a bit of heat-fever. Happened to you too once”-_

 

“-Malik? Are you listening?” Desmond’s voice seemed to ring in his head, unusually loud and incredibly annoying  
“What do you want?” hissed Malik lifting his head from the table “Let me sleep, Mother”  
Ezio laughed under his breath “Lesson’s over” he chanted dragging the last vocals playfully “Let’s go get lunch, Des here’s starving”  
Oh. Lunch, right. He felt a bit disoriented, as if suddenly waken from deep sleep… but it made no sense. Malik spaced out only for a couple of minutes so how could already be lunch time? And why had he dreamed of that kid with his same own name? Everything was so confusing… why did thinking about the other little boy -Altair?- made him smile?  
“Are you ok?” asked Desmond staring at him in a mix of curiosity and slight worry “You really need a good lunch” the boy gathered his books and jacket and got up  
“I know a good place” piped up Ezio, his I-know-something-cool grin plastered all over his face “a new owl cafe, the Eagle Point. They make the biggest sandwiches and it’s always full of cute _signorine_ too” his grin got even wider “art students”  
“Cristina will skin you alive and feed you to her cats” was Desmond’s blunt comment “It’ll be fun to watch” he whispered in Malik’s hear “from safe distance”.  
Malik managed a small smile even if he felt all the signs of a killer headache coming up “Just let’s go” he said quietly gathering is now-dry jacket and bag. Why did his friends have to be so loud?

 

The Eagle Point was a small vintage-looking place just at the end of the road, a bit out of sight in a secluded alley, with mismatched colorful plushy chairs and hand-painted small tables scattered without a logical order all around the dusty room. And there were fancy cages placed next to the tables with sleepy-looking fluffy birds of prey in them.  
Malik had never been in an owl cafè and barely knew what it was from some barely understandable posts on the internet but, so far seemed good: even if nearly crowded with people the place was mostly quiet, the girls too entranced by the poofy birds or busy reading and chatting quietly to make too much noise. A good change from the usual kids-friendly fast foods infested by unsupervised children and overprotective perpetually stressed soccer moms -loudly- sharing disturbing details about their spawn’s last disease. One of these little demons got his head stuck his jacket’s sleeve once and the mother blamed him for leaving the dangerous object on child-reach level. Why. Not even dogs were that plainly stupid.  
“This place looks old and moldy” whined Desmond “Are you sure they have real food and not only tea and stale cookies? It looks like my crazy grandma’s living room ” Speaking of annoying kids.  
Ezio gracefully sat down next to a ginger girl “Watch and learn” he said with a big Cheshire Cat grin and started a one-sided conversation with the still-reading girl. One-track mind.  
Desmond shrugged and made a beeline for the bar, more interested in getting food than anything else, leaving Malik standing in the middle of the room like an idiot.  
He choose a comfortable-looking bright pink sofa in a particularly shady corner and simply flopped down, ignoring the person drawing on the other side of the round table; he was too tired and confused to start a decent conversation.  
Golden eyes framed by thick round glasses peaked up at him from behind a battered sketchbook every time was distracted as if studying him, it could have been oddly endearing if Malik wasn’t dealing with the tiny rage-filled person hammering their way out of his poor skull.  
He tried to ignore the weird guy but after the fourth time he got tired of that annoying game of hide and seek “What the hell do you want from me?” he hissed pushing not too gently the damn sketchbook away to glare at the unfortunate idiot.  
And said idiot had the nerve to grin, a huge happy and completely out of place smile that lit his stupid face from within “That’s crazy” he breathed out, golden eyes wide as humanly possible  
“What?”  
“You! I saw you in my dreams!”


	2. CH.2- FLEDGLINGS DAYS

CH.2- FLEDGLING DAYS

Altair couldn’t believe his own eyes: he had seen that dark scowl before, in another time, on a youthful face so impossibly similar to the one glaring at him from the other side of the table.

Some could find the young man’s burning eyes intimidating, but he knew from a deep unknown part of of his soul that there was nothing to be scared of. How he couldn’t tell.

“That’s a stale pick up line” was the bitter -but predictable- answer “go bother someone else”

Oh no! Now the guy from his dreams will leave the cafe and never come back! Altair was ready to bang his head against the table: how could he have been so stupid!

“Wait!” he nearly shrieked “It’s true! Look at this!” Altair put his sketchbook on the table and showed to the still-frowning guy a careful drawing of a fang-shaped fortress with red and white little flags billowing in the desert wind and a tiny village huddled up against its mighty foundations “Masyaf”

He pointed at the sketch of three small kids: a serious-looking dark haired boy with piercing black eyes “It’s you, Malik” then a smug younger child, golden eagle-like eyes shining from the shadows of his oversized white hood “me, Altair” and finally a blue eyed toddler smiling sweetly from behind a big colorful pillow “and little Kadar”

The scowl on the other’s face melted like snow in spring, leaving place for a mix of intense concentration and wariness, as if pondering the possibilities of him being a serial killer or something “How… how did we met in your dreams?” he finally asked.

Altair let out a relieved breath “The other me was waiting for his father on a pile of laundry on the rooftop terrace of your family home but it was really hot and I- he fell asleep at some point” he blushed, a bit embarrassed about telling a complete stranger about his crazy dreams in the middle of an owl cafè “When I- he woke up your past self called him stupid for falling asleep on a roof but you were smiling a-and I knew I would never been alone anymore...”

The other seemed still a bit wary but at least had sit back down “My name is in fact Malik and, to be honest, I had almost the same dreams from weeks”

Wow. Altair couldn’t believe his own ears. He expected to be called a freak and laughed at but Malik seemed to understand.

“A-are you serious?” He only got a small unsure nod as an answer it but was enough to make him feel as if about to cry or laugh or simply drop dead on the spot.

Altair and Malik spent the next two hours talking and getting to know each other -besides the crazy past lives thing-: he found out that Malik was studying to become an archivist, was twenty-three years old, had an insane passion for almond cakes and hated moths.

“Why?” he couldn’t help but laugh a little “Moths are cute! And fluffy!” Malik made a disgusted face “Hairy butterflies? It’s unnatural” now even he was laughing under his breath “and disturbing”

At some point they ordered a tray of salty cupcakes to share, taking their time  to taste them all and make funny comments about how weird or delicious some of them were. Altair picked a really spicy one  and had to gulp down a big glass of milk to wash away the burning taste while Malik tried to -unsuccessfully- hide his smug grin behind a potato cupcake

“That’s mean” pouted the golden eyed boy, his face redder than a tomato “your friend’s dying of spicy and you laugh! I hope you’ll get the other one!” but after a moment he burst into a fit of laughter too.

It was already already dark when, after saying goodnight to Malik’s friends, they left the Eagle Point still laughing and talking about their past and present lives, sharing childhood memories and wandering without a care in the world. Not even the cold rain that would soon freeze into the first snow of that winter bothered them.

“I’m freezing” whined Altair, huddling up in his thin soaked hoodie “wanna come up for a hot chocolate?””

Malik actually blushed, “W-what about your parents?” he asked trying to hide his embarrassment.

Altair shrugged “They’re in Iraq or Africa hunting down some shocking news” he made for an old but fancy block just in front of an elegant French bakery “I’ve been living with my uncle and his mate since I can remember, first in Nassau and then here. They’re a bit weird but family” He fished some keys out of his overstuffed bag and pushed the big wooden entrance door open for both of them “Home sweet home”  he quickly climbed up the first two flights of stairs to a dark wooden door with a perfectly polished metal tag and under a much bigger “Beware the Pirates” one.

 

\----------

Malik was a bit taken aback to see the big eye-catching “Beware the Pirates” tag on the door and the tiny plastic skeleton-with-hat hanging from shiny door handle but, out of politeness, said nothing.

Altair shook his light-brown head like a wet dog “Here we are” he grinned, even if still shaking like a leaf about to fall, and opened the door to a dark spacious entrance hall. He threw the soaked hoodie on an already loaded wooden chair and switched the light on.

A big black and incredibly fluffy cat welcomed them with a loud meow and Altair swiftly picked it up “Hello Blackbeard”, he cooed running his delicate fingers through the cat’s mane-like fur “You have tried to catch uncle Ed’s fishies again, don’t you?” the cat meowed again and jumped off as if offended. Altair laughed -a beautiful contagious sound filled with happiness- and took his t-shirt off with a relieved sigh.

Malik blushed and felt massively stupid for that schoolgirl-like reaction: it wasn’t the first time he saw another guy shirtless, for heaven’s sake! He was part of a Mixed Martial Art university club, had grown up with a younger brother and a quite shameless friend -Ezio- after all, then why did seeing that boy run around in nothing more than a pair of ugly cargo pants make him feel as he had just swallowed a handful of bouncy balls?

Altair stopped his mad search to throw some dry clothes in his direction “It’s been years since the last time I was out in the rain like this”, he laughed rubbing his hair dry with a -were those really sharks?- printed fluffy towel “fun, but I really hate being wet!” he shivered  as if a bad thought had crossed his mind.

“Why?” asked Malik after putting the hideous, too big t-shirt on; he had no intention to be nosy but the question simply slipped out.

Altair stared out through the window for a bit “Made a stupid bet with some street kids” he shivered again and wrapped the big towel around his shoulders like a blanket “Long story short, they could swim like fishes but I couldn’t, so I nearly drowned reaching a wrecked ship to bring back a Spanish coin as a proof. Uncle Edward fished me out just in time, but I got so scared that even now staying near a kids’ pool makes me on edge”

Now Malik felt bad about asking: he had imagined a ridiculous reason but this… “A-are you ok?” he asked in a small unsure voice, walking closer to put a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Altair managed a sad, somewhat bitter smile “More or less… my parents simply sent a get-well-soon card for me and a letter about a cruel dictator and some kids working in a factory for my uncle… they were too busy saving the world to save their own son”

Wow. That was even worse.

“Oh well” the golden eyed boy suddenly stretched like a cat and headed for the kitchen “there’s still a hot chocolate waiting us!”

Malik followed him a bit confused. How could this boy be so carefree and happy one moment and on the verge of an emotional breakdown the next and then back to his bubbly self again in the blink of an eye? It was like riding down a rollercoaster, sometimes fun, sometimes frightening but always wonderful. Maybe he should simply stop asking and let things happen. It seemed to work just fine with Altair.

Malik sat down at the table, careful not to touch or break anything while Altair was busy fishing all sort of things out of the cupboards -what was he doing with that big pot?-

“No hot chocolate...” the boy turned around with a sad kicked puppy look on his face “Blackbeard had drink all the milk” then he went back to his food-hunting, still rambling about the cat.

“It’s not a big deal” was Malik’s polite reply “don’t worry, I ca-”

Altair let out a delighted squeal-like noise “Uncle James had made fish soup!” he turned around with a big cooking pot in his arms “There’s nothing better than his spicy Irish crab and fish soup when you’re freezing to the bones!”

Malik wasn’t a fan of fish, but he was literally starving so he smiled and held out his bowl for some soup. Altair grinned sheepishly and headed to the stove “Need to heat it up. It’s frozen solid” but after a bit of digging they managed to have a delicious pot of soup boiling on the stove.

“So, how about your family?” asked Altair sitting down next to Malik “Your present-family I mean” he added with a nervous little laugh.

Malik took his time to study the empty bowl, it had ‘Captain’ and Altair’s had ‘Cabin Boy’ printed on it in fancy lettering, to ponder before answering “I have a younger brother, Kadar, like in the uh, past life… he’ll be sixteen soon and, to quote Ezio’s words, a bundle of teenage angst, but a good little guy” he smiled fondly “Mother’s an ER nurse, the kind of person that firmly believes in strict love and right now she’s kind of holding a grudge because we’re not her babies anymore”

Altair laughed quietly “They seem nice! And your father?”

“Gone. He was a good guy but got scared and ran away when she told him that she’d have another baby. It was difficult at the beginning: I was four and had to take care of my newborn brother while Mother was at work but I learned quickly and everything worked out just fine. It’s just the three of us now.”

Now Altair seemed quite embarrassed and quickly got up to retrieve the soup “I’m sorry”, he said in a small guilty voice “I shouldn’t have asked”

They both ate in silence for a while until Malik seemed to have enough of Altair’s clumsy attempts of conversation -more like open his mouth and quickly close it without uttering a sound-  “Why is everything uh, pirate-themed in here?” he asked casually, picking up some bread to clean the bowl.

Altair lit up at the question “Uncle Edward was a sharks’ rights activist ” he explained with a proud grin “he travelled all over the world with his ship to put trackers on them and follow them. Now he owns a pub with uncle James downtown. They share a passion for pirates so this place looks like a pirate ship.” Malik couldn’t help but laugh “And don’t laugh! Pirates are awesome!”

Malik had  had his fair share of weird people but no one like Altair: it seemed so easy for the  golden eyed boy to believe in everything other people would have found completely absurd, like ghosts -he had a pile of books about them- mysterious creatures -Altair had proudly shown him a collection of sketches of all kinds of beasts- and  obviously reincarnation and time travel.

They spent hours talking and, when Malik checked the time, it was about midnight and already too late to take the last bus. He texted his mother to tell her he would stay at Ezio’s for some late night studying; it was the first time he openly lied to his mother, but on the other hand the very first time he met the reincarnation of his past self’s best friend - oh wow, that was contorted!-  and he needed, physically needed to know Altair better and strangely, to stay with him. The guy was incredibly smart, kind and somehow had already wormed his way into Malik’s heart.

After another quick counters-raid for snacks they plopped down together on the couch to watch a horror movie that Altair had claimed to be a true story. Honestly, he didn’t paid much attention to the gore and blood going on on the big screen since Altair’s reactions were a lot more, well, entertaining: at the beginning the boy very very interested and even excited about it, but as the disturbing story unfolded, he quite literally threw himself at Malik’s neck, clinging to him like an oversized koala… and really, Malik hadn’t the heart to push him away.

At some point Malik got tired of the girls-on-screen’s shrieks of pain and switched off the TV; without the loud sound Altair promptly fell asleep still holding onto him  and he could anything but manage both into a somewhat comfortable position and reach for a blanket.   

It felt so natural to curl up under a soft blanket  with Altair, as if they had already spent countless nights like that -under black skies lit with thousands of stars or in a stony eaven secluded to the world-. It meant safety and peace and he couldn’t ask for more.

_Years went on like sand in the desert for the two adventurous boys as they spent their days strengthening their friendship and playing until they reached their tenth birthday and, as any other child of Assassin family, were welcomed into the Brotherhood as Novices._

_The instructors gave them the gray robes that identifies the children as newly recruited and asked them to show their talents to the Mentor. Every one of them, intimidated by the one-eyed old man, walked into the training ring and more or less clumsily tried the few fighting moves their Fathers had taught them._

_When Malik’s turn came he walked into the ring, back straight and head proudly high as his Father told him, chose a long wooden sword and started a simple attack sequence, trying to keep his movements clean and avoid any mistake. Sword fighting came naturally to him, as if the blade was an extension of his arm, so his show was one of the best -at least he hadn’t tripped on the tails of his robe like some other recruits- so he finished it with a small bow of respect to the audience and quietly walked back with the other children._

_Altair grinned at him and made a small sign of victory, eyes shining with pride “This is my Brother”, his almost arrogant gaze seemed to say “the King of Swords. We are the best.”_

_Malik smiled back, out of breath from his sword fighting show “I think I have positively impressed the instructors” he said plopping down next to his friend to regain his strength._

_Altair threw an arm around Malik’s shoulders “You left them out of breath!” he whispered excitedly “We will become Masters in no time! You and me together, Brother, will be legends!”_

_Malik couldn’t help but shake his head fondly at his best friend’s antics: Altair had a tendency to make nearly impossible plans and amazingly all of them worked out just as he predicted. He really hoped with all his heart Altair was right, but he knew an Assassin’s life to be dangerous and very few Novices made to the highest ranks alive. But he kept his gloomy thoughts for himself and grinned back “You and me together, Brother.”_

_Ten -pathetic- demonstrations later, the instructor called Altair’s name and the golden eyed boy swiftly got up and almost ran into the training ring; he made straight for the climbing area before grabbing a small wooden dagger and, quick and graceful like a silvery spider, scaled the pile of crates to the top, made for the small white and scarlet flag and grabbed it in the blink of an eye -the same impossibly quick move that so many times left Malik without even a small taste of almond pastries- Then he climbed down the stack of fluffy hay and dived into it like a desert creature into its nest, completely unseen -a technique Altair had created to hide from Malik’s Mother after one of his pranks-; he silently got through the opposite side of the pile to jump at the straw training puppet and leave the small dagger stuck right in the center of the sloppily painted red cross on its chest._

_Malik had no words to describe Altair’s show beside magical and even the most expressionless Masters had awe painted on their faces beneath the shadows of their spotless cowls._

_Altair bowed quickly and ran back to his friend, a happy slight bounce in his steps and hugged Malik tightly “I told you! We will be legends! Templars will cry like babies just hearing our names!” The dark haired boy grinned back, but as soon as his gaze met his friend’s, the smile fell from his face._

_“H-how?” he breathed out staring straight into Altair’s eyes_

_“Everything become like glass and the safe climbing route glowed gold! And when it was the right time to stab the puppet I heard something like an eagle cry in my head!” he blurted out, his grin even wider “It’s been the first time I made the whole run without falling or passing out! I made it, Malik!”_

_A revelation bloomed in Malik’s mind: Eagle Vision! The glow in Altair’s eyes was the mythical Eagle Vision that gave its possessor the power to see the true colors of the world!_

_Malik grinned madly: maybe Altair was right about becoming legends after all._

__

“...Malik?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a big thank you to xRockChikx for helping me shine it up and to Card for giving me the right motivation to start this adventure.   
> Love you all guys!
> 
> To the next chapter: Blood, Glory and Everything Between!


	3. BLOOD, GLORY AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be a little violent.

CH.3- BLOOD, GLORY AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Altair didn’t remember falling asleep -apparently on the couch- or using Malik as a pillow and felt a bit embarrassed of waking up in someone’s arms but, to be honest, he was just too comfortable to get up.

He dreamed of his past life again, of the carefree days spent wandering on the roofs with the other Malik like stray cats, and he couldn’t wait to share the happy memory with his best friend: he wanted to tell him all about the fortress, the people and, most of all, the power that made things shine with different colors. But Malik was sleeping like a rock.

Altair yawned widely stretching against  Malik’s boarder chest completely at ease, “Malik?” he whispered poking the other boy’s cheek lightly. Nothing.

A small useful detail about Malik’s past life came to his mind and he grinned knowingly.

The flat was a bit too warm to keep the blanket on and during the night they had kicked it to the floor, leaving them both in nothing more than their mismatched night clothes.

Altair’s hand ghosted down to the small patch of skin between Malik’s waistband and the hem of his t-shirt and traced lazy circles over his left hip, waiting for the inevitable shriek of laughter.

And he waited.

“Malik?” he called again dragging the last vowel in a childish whine until the other’s eyes fluttered open.

“What do you want?” muttered the other boy still half asleep “It’s too early for training…”

Altair laughed softly “I tried something” he said pushing himself up a little to rest his head on Malik’s shoulder “but it didn’t work”

He could see Malik’s perplexed half-frown in the lights of the road and another idea crossed his mind “You’re such a grumpy owl!” he grinned impishly and buried his face in his friend’s t-shirt.

Malik smiled fondly and ran his fingers through Altair’s soft hair “I’m a serious young man” he said pointedly “not a little imp like you. Go back to sleep now”

Altair relaxed against Malik’s chest listening to his steady, calm heartbeat and in a matter of seconds was asleep again.

_Two years had passed since their first day in the fortress and things had changed quickly for them: Altair and Malik were just a mission away from becoming Journeymen and little Kadar had joined them as a Novice._

_The two boys were so excited about the mission the night before leaving Masyaf for the first time on their own, that they couldn’t fall asleep for their dear life._

_Altair was sitting on the floor of their shared room, polishing his daggers carefully, a big grin painted on his face “Tomorrow will be our day! Our big adventure!” he nearly shouted “No one will stop us from becoming Masters!”_

_“Calm down! We just have to retrieve some important documents, not kill the Templar Grand Master” Malik frowned slightly and pointed to the small bundle of blankets on the other side of the room “And keep your voice low or you will wake Kadar up!”_

_Altair pouted and made a show of dropping dead on the floor “You are no fun, Malik! One day you will kill me with your boringness! Grumpy old owl!”_

_Malik grinned evilly and jumped at his friend like a cat “You will see who is the old owl!” he growled playfully and pinned him down._

_Altair gave out a shriek of laughter, wriggled free and crawled away, starting  their usual chasing game._

__

_The next day Altair and Malik left the fortress at the break of dawn heading to the big town of Jerusalem, perfectly armed and ready to take down whatever was waiting for them on the other side of the desert._

_They rode on day and night until they came in sight of the Holy City, shiny and swarming with life like an anthill._

_The two boys looked at each other in a mix of excitement and a bit of fear: they had never seen in their short lives a city so big and so many people, all kinds of people from pale almost ghost-like Europeans to dark-skinned, dark-robed men of the desert, and the idea of being surrounded by thousands of strangers was making them nervous._

__

_Altair was standing near his friend just outside the imposing stony walls, scanning them with his Second Sight in search for hidden guards, safe holdings and anything that glowed gold or red._

_They talked about churches and relics like any other young scholar visiting Jerusalem for the first time, but in their secret language of quick glances and seemingly casual gestures warned each other of dangers hiding behind the walls._

_They entered with a quite big group of Christian priests, heads lowered and slightly shaky hands clasped in prayer to hide their appearance and, as soon as the guards looked away, the two boys left the crowded dusty roads for the safer and less chaotic rooftops._

_“T-this was a bit different from training” Altair was grinning widely and completely out of breath “More exciting and… dangerous! Have you seen that? That man was covered in iron from head to toes!”_

_Malik shook his head fondly “That man was Christian knight, not a Templar luckily, but he can still cause us some trouble” he seemed worried “we have to be careful and discreet”_

_Altair grinned smugly “Carefulness is for the weak! Our way is better!”_

_For the very first time Malik glared at him -not the usual annoyed, bored but fond glance- and he felt his heart sink. His friend had never looked at him like that, as if he had done something terribly wrong or had personally betrayed him._

_“Just follow the Creed for once” hissed Malik looking away “and don’t try anything reckless. I do not wish to be killed because of you, thank you very much”_

_Malik’s words hurt worse than any physical injury he could ever receive and he felt bitter tears stinging his eyes but he couldn’t cry like a baby. Not now._

_“B-better if we split and gather information alone” he blurted out trying to keep his voice steady “meeting place in the Bureau at sunset” and he ran away without looking back._

__

_Altair ran and ran through the crowded streets, bumping into people and stumbling on crates and market stands: he couldn’t care less if his throat was burning or his limbs felt heavy like lead, the boy only wanted to drown the emotional pain._

_How could have Malik been so cruel and unfair? Maybe he had been a bit careless once or twice, long waitings didn’t sit well with him but he cared more about Malik’s safety than his own! They were Brothers in all but blood, they protected and took care of each other countless times… then how? Why that terrible glare? Did Malik hate him? Would he care if Altair never came back at sunset? Too many questions for the boy’s distressed mind and he was running away from them._

_At some point -how or when he couldn’t tell- he ran into someone way bigger than himself and he fell painfully on his back._

_The guard turned around with a cruel smile “Look at what we have here”_

_“A little mountain-rat” added another, grabbing Altair by the front of his robes and lifting him off of the ground effortlessly. Altair kicked and fought to free himself from the guard’s iron grip but the man was simply too strong._

_The other guard laughed and took a dagger out of his belt “You’re a spirited little rat, aren’t you?”_

_The boy’s struggles doubled at the sight of the blade but he stayed silent. The other guard had grabbed him by the neck, effectively cutting his breath._

_The big guard laughed, a harsh bark-like sound, and tightened his talon-like grip “The little cub thinks himself better than us” he snarled right in the boy’s face. The man’s breath smelt of wine and Altair looked away to escape the disgusting stench._

_The other guard put the dagger away and grabbed his long spear “I have a deal for you” he said in a sickening sweet voice and walked into a dark alley “Bring him here, Gunther”_

_The big guard, Gunther, followed his smaller colleague still holding the young Novice at arms’ lenght like a kitten about to be drowned and pinned him painfully to the wall._

_Altair struggled to get the guard’s filthy hand away from his neck but in vain: the bear-like man was simply too strong and he was losing consciousness dangerously quickly. Soon he would be at these lackey’s mercy. How pathetic!_

_The boy wasn’t afraid of death itself since it was part of an Assassin’s life -they delivered death and sometimes were paid with it- but the thought of becoming a plaything for guards or worse, being taken to jail to have information tortured out of him was something he couldn’t stand. He was frightened at the thought of betraying the Order and he preferred to be killed there and now, instead of spending the rest of his miserable life rotting away in darkness until even loyalty was eaten away by the most basic need to stay alive._

_“You will tell me where your friends hide and perhaps Gunther here won’t squish you to death like an insect”_

_Altair glared at the guard, proud despite the pain “I will not tell you anything” he hissed defiantly. The man laughed and signaled his colleague to continue._

_“So much arrogance…” he sighed tracing the boy’s cheek with the point of his dagger “You need a lesson about humility, little rat…” and he stuck the cruel blade through Altair’s palm, pinning his delicate hand to the filthy wall._

_Altair howled in pain, his golden eyes filled with tears “M-Malik” he breathed out, eyelids heavier every passing second “forgive...me”_

_In the haze between consciousness and void he saw a big light shape, something similar to an eagle, but maybe it was just a vision before the end._

__

\----------

When Malik woke up for the second time it was still dark, everything silent besides the tiny mewing-like sounds near him… Probably a cat.

He was about to go back to sleep when he realized something: that small pitiful noise sounded more like someone crying than a cat in heat. But who?

He looked down at his chest and saw Altair curled up there clutching at his hand as if in pain and crying softly “M-Malik…” he called weakly, tears running down his cheeks.

Malik felt the need of hold the boy close and protect him. Altair seemed so strong and carefree, all smiles and kindness, but under that mask he could see just how vulnerable and still young his friend was.

“Altair” he whispered rubbing the boy’s back gently “wake up, buddy”

Big frightened golden eyes shot open and Altair looked down at his hands “T-that guard… he…h-hurts!” he let out an anguished cry and buried his face in Malik’s chest.

Now the older boy was becoming really worried:the way Altair was holding his hand spoke of great pain, maybe he had accidentally hurt it earlier with the boiling soup and said nothing not to disturb him.

“Altair” he called gently taking the boy’s smaller hand in his own “I need to check your hand now…”

Malik switched the small lamp on and took a good look at Altair’s now limp hand, feeling it for burn marks or cuts, but he found nothing besides old stains of ink and paint. Thank goodness! That was a big potential problem out of the way but the question still stood: what was wrong with Altair?

Malik carefully disentangled himself from Altair’s limbs and got up to fetch a glass of water and his phone to call his mother for some first aid tips, even if he preferred to sort everything out without telling his stern mother that he was spending the night with a complete stranger.

He sat on a corner of the couch next to a still sobbing Altair stroking his tear-stained cheek to calm him a little while he checked the boy’s forehead for fever.

“Altair” he whispered, kind but firm as he had seen his mother do “can you lie on your back for me?” the boy shook his head and buried himself in the back of the couch even more.

Normally, Malik would have lost his patience by now but he couldn’t leave his friend in pain and alone -not again-.

“At least tell me what’s wrong? I want to help you but I can’t if you won’t tell me where you’re hurt” he kept his voice low and words simple for Altair’s sake, knowing how badly the boy needed someone to trust and rely on right now.

“M-my neck…” was the shaky tiny reply “H-he kept on s-squeezing and I… c-couldn’t breathe…”

Malik let out a sigh of relief. “You had another vision?” he asked quietly taking the boy in his arms and letting him lean on his shoulder like a small frightened kid. It wasn’t a big deal for him since Altair was a whole head shorter than himself and thin for a twenty-one years old and, besides that, he was used to carry people around, being a big brother.

Altair looked up at him through his light-brown messy fringe and nodded weakly, making a small pained noise.

“You want to talk about it?”

The boy covered his neck protectively with the hem of his sleeping shirt “Hurts…”

Malik smiled understandingly “I know” he whispered stroking Altair’s back under the thin fabric “Don’t talk then” The boy blushed a bit at first but, after a while, started to relax.

“Skin-on-skin contact helps you feel safe” explained Malik to distract his friend from the pain “I’m here, Altair” he whispered in a calming tone “Focus on my hand. Only on my hand, ok?”

Malik continue to run his hand gently up and down Altair’s back in soothing circles until the boy seemed to melt under his ministrations.

“You want to go to bed?” he asked after a while; Altair made a small noncommitted noise that Malik took for a yes “Hold on tight then, we’re off to your room”

Malik got up carefully, holding the already sleeping boy to his chest and walked down the dark hall to the very last door, the one with the Cabin Boy tag on it. He opened the door silently,  gently laid Altair on the quite big bed on the corner and climbed over too.

“You gave me quite a scare, you know?” he whispered with a fond smile, covered them both with a light blanket and settled down for -he really hoped- the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thank you to xRockChikx for her her help in shining the whole thing up and to Casper for being an awesome Personal Cheerleading Team. Love you all, guys!
> 
> To the next chapter: READY, SET...FALL

**Author's Note:**

> Strega- witch, Italian term for an evil old woman  
> Signorine- young ladies
> 
> A big thank you to my awesome, amazing friends in the Assassin Creed fandom and to xRockChikx for grammar-checking. You're the best ramble-pals ever, guys!


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